no rest for the wicked [jason todd]

twenty six

TYE COULDN'T BLAME INTOXICATION

for the reason that she was curled up in a blanket next to Jason. She had one drink, and only one, when she'd made her own decision to do this. She reached up and gently skimmed a hand across his face, feeling the growing stubble there. He hadn't shaved in a day, maybe, or more. She was surprised he was such a deep sleeper, especially when she ran a hand through his hair, but it was then she realized he wasn't sleeping at all. He reached a hand up, his eyes still closed, and pulled his wrist to her mouth to press a kiss to the inside.

Then, he turned to face her. "G'morning," he mumbled in a tired voice, his eyes barely opened as he looked at her. "Tye? What's up with you this morning? You're all in your head."

"How can I not be?" She asked him, her voice still tired, a sort of lull in it that only existed when she wasn't fully awake. "I'm with you this morning. You, Jason, the guy that I've been living with for months. Isn't this a... A bad idea? I mean..." She leaned up on her elbows. "I can't just leave every time we fight. I don't have anywhere to go right now."

He looked over at her, his eyes still slightly hooded. He was still tired, his voice gravelly and slurred. "I don't wanna fight anymore," he told her in the softest voice he could muster, touching her cheek with his fingers. She smiled thinly, her eyes practically sparkling as she scanned the sunshine leaking into the room. "You and I... We can try this, can't we? Being together. Being an us. Doesn't that... Don't you want that? All I want to do is try it with you. "

"I don't know, Jason," she whispered, reaching for his hand and lacing their fingers together. She held it gently, pressing her lips to his knuckles now. Her head was tilted down, eyes not visible toward Jason now. She felt like she didn't know what to say for once. "It sounds complicated. If we try things, it sounds like we're laying under a guillotine blade, like we're doomed to mess things up so badly. I don't know if we can do this and have it work out. What if this isn't what we're meant for?"

Jason grabbed her face with his hands, wondering how he'd gotten this far. She was as beautiful as any princess had ever been; a goddess would have been envious of her in his mind. Her gentle eyes and her lips that were seemingly pushed into a pout right now. "I don't believe in fate," he said after a moment, resting their foreheads together, "but I'll never stop believing in you, Tye Melrose."

"We've gone on one date," she responded, laying a small hand over his, "don't you think I at least deserve breakfast? Brunch? Might be better to discuss things over food."

He sighed, rolling over slightly and turning away from her. "You're just hungry, aren't you?" He asked her. She turned, smiling innocently and reaching out for his hand. "Yeah, you're an emotionally manipulative, you little jerk. Stop trying to take my money for your addictions to breakfast food."

Tye laughed slightly, burying her face into her arms now. "Look," she said through the fades of her laughter, "I'll pay for myself, Jay. I'm just hungry and all the food has been eaten all right now. We need to go shopping later today, okay? Just, please? We can go on a little fake-date for brunch. You know how much you wanna eat greasy bacon, toast and runny eggs, c'mon. That's the dream breakfast in the morning."

He moved back over and pressed his lips to hers briefly before he stood up. He was looking around for his pants when she slapped a hand over her eyes. "Are you a child?" He complained. She could hear him chuckling too.

"Yes," she defended defiantly, swinging her feet over the bed. She headed over to the dresser and started to get dressed when she heard the door shut to the bathroom. "Jason!" She shouted, still tugging her t-shirt over her head, "I need it too. I gotta brush my pearly whites, okay? Plus, I need my deodorant!"

He marched over and pulled open the door, rolling his eyes. "I gotta shave," he said, "but sure, you do your stuff."

"Can I watch?" She asked brightly, reaching for his shaving cream. He swatted her hand away and pulled it to the other side of the counter. "Fine," she complained, reaching for her deodorant and her toothbrush, heading out into the kitchen to use that sink instead. A couple minutes later, even though it felt like years, Jason appeared. He seemed pretty much ready for the day, minus the toilet paper stuck to his face in one spot.

"Aw, little baby," she cooed jokingly, "you're bleeding. You got a little oopsie on your jaw right there."

Jason reached up and plucked the small piece of paper towel off of his face, throwing it into the garbage. "Sorry hon," he said, crossing his arms over his chest, "you feel better hanging around with me now that it's gone?"

Tye yawned slightly, setting a hand over her mouth. "Let's go out now," she told him, reaching for his hand and lacing their fingers together. For a moment, she looked toward his face, wondering what he was thinking when he scrunched his nose up slightly. "I'm not letting you say we're we people, but I can hold your hand, right?" She asked.

Jason turned and smiled, squeezing her hand gently. He didn't say anything for a long moment, even as he opened the door for her and they walked toward the elevators together. It was only after he pressed the 'down' button that he glanced toward her. "Dick texted you earlier," he told her, raising one shoulder in a shrug. "I thought your phone was mine when I woke up. It wasn't, but..."

"Oh, shit," Tye yanked her phone from her back pocket and scanned it, squinting toward the message. "It's just an invitation to go mini-golfing. Plus, he asked if we were doing okay and where I went last night."

"You can tell him we had lots of fun," he teased in reply, nodding his head toward the elevator doors when they slid open. She groaned next to him, turning to bury her head into his shoulder. Sometimes she wondered why she even spoke to him. "Hey, c'mon, you aren't seriously still thinking about the snack thing I said, right?"

She realized she'd said that last part out loud.

Tye turned toward him though, grimacing. "That snack fiasco is going to be in my nightmares for years," she told him in a serious voice.

He leaned his head back and laughed, turning toward her as they waited for the elevator to bring them to the first floor now. "Why don't you tell him to invite Barb?" He suggested. "I'll come too so there's no big second wheeling from you. We can try that, at least, or... Not, it's all up to you, I guess."

"I'll get back to you after brunch," Tye offered.

--

is it possible to die for your own character?

i would give up my life for tye to be happy guys